take one's medicine
To endure an unpleasant obligation, especially a punishment.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“You made a mistake, so you must take your medicine.”
“I broke the window, so now I have to take my medicine.”
“The team lost the game fairly, so they had to take their medicine and congratulate the winners.”
“The politician knew the voters were angry about the new tax, so he went on television to take his medicine and answer their tough questions.”
“After skipping class all week, the student had to take her medicine when the teacher assigned her a Saturday detention.”
“After the audit revealed significant financial mismanagement, the executive had to take his medicine and accept the board's decision to terminate his contract.”
Derived from the observation that curative substances are frequently disagreeable to the palate. The idiom relies upon the specific tension between the long-term benefit of a treatment and the immediate unpleasantness of its consumption. As the efficacy of a remedy was historically associated with the bitterness of its flavour, the act of ingestion became a metaphor for the stoic acceptance of a necessary but distasteful consequence.
- 01
abound in one's own sense
To follow one’s own inclinations and opinions.
- 02
ace up one's sleeve
A surprise advantage of which others are not aware.
- 03
act one's age
To behave in a manner appropriate to one's age.
- 04
act one's age, not one's shoe size
Synonym of act one's age (“to behave in a mature manner; to avoid being childish”).
- 05
afraid of one's own shadow
Exceptionally timid.
- 06
air one's dirty laundry in public
To reveal one's sordid secrets to the public.
- 07
air one's dirty linen in public
Synonym of air one's dirty laundry in public.
- 08
albatross around one's neck
A characteristic, possession, associate, or previous deed that hinders one's ability to succeed.
Last updated August 10, 2026